Systems and methods for providing secure communications for transactions

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for providing secure communications. One aspect of an embodiment of the invention creates a virtual private connection to a remote server or network utilizing a connection server and at least one direct connection between a client device and the remote server, without utilizing the Internet. In another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a client operating system is taken over by a vertical function operating system to service the communication with the remote server. Still another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention comprises a client device establishing a connection with a remote server through a connection server and at least one direct connection, shutting down a first operating system, starting up a second secure operating system, and launching an interface application with the second operating system to conduct electronic transactions with the remote server.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/784,183, filed Mar. 21, 2006, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to computer networking and, moreparticularly to systems and methods for providing secure communicationsfor transactions.

BACKGROUND

Increasingly, people are engaging in financial and other sensitiveelectronic transactions on the Internet. Electronic transactions caninclude electronic bill paying, Internet banking, electronic auctions,electronic funds transfer, and electronic securities trading.Additionally, people desire remote access to networks, such as theiremployers network. Currently, remote access, including remote access forelectronic transactions, is performed via a client device, such as apersonal computer, through a public-wide area network, such as theInternet. Similarly, there is an increasing amount of fraud occurringwith respect to transactions and communications over the Internet.

Internet fraud currently occurs essentially from two sources: 1) theInternet connection itself; and 2) operating-system based clientdevices, such as the Microsoft® operating system-based client devices.These sources make the typical online electronic transaction subject tofraud. On the first source, the Internet connection, the Internet is apublic network, and, as such, many ports are available and accessible bythe public. The direction and advancement and the use of Internet accessnetwork technology have resulted in the growth of available bandwidthfor the user. The more bandwidth, the higher speed of Internet accesses.This direction encourages the “always on” use behavior by the user,which is further exacerbated by fixed tariffs. This means that the usercan just leave the Internet access connected continuously so that he/shedoes not have to undertake the cumbersome process of initiating theoperating system and network connectivity. While this situation mayprovide convenience, this also offers an optimal environment forintrusion of unwanted software into the client terminal through multipleopen ports. While port protection technology is available, in most casesthe technical challenge associated with its use mitigates againstadoption by the masses. Additionally, the code on Web pages, such as afinancial institution's Web page, is HTML code and is exposed to thepublic. Thus, hackers can exploit the accessibility of the Internet toobtain information in electronic transactions.

Most conventional remote access solutions utilize the Internet toprovide connectivity between a user on a client device and a server.Remote access solutions that utilize leased line or direct lineconnections are available, but are cost prohibitive for the averageuser. Generally, only senior members of an organization may have adirect line connection from a remote location, such as a residence, tothe organization's network and servers.

Second, given that most client devices utilize the Windows® operatingsystem from Microsoft Corp., most perpetrators of fraud focus most oftheir attention on creating software for their purposes to reside onthese devices. This type of software, which is generally classed as“spyware” or “malware,” can lay in waiting on Windows® operatingsystem-based devices. Then unbeknownst to its user such spyware can comealive in certain circumstances where fraudulent activity can beactivated. Spyware is capable of recording keystrokes or otherwisecapturing sensitive information of a user in order to facilitateunwanted access to “secure” sites. Therefore, a solution is needed toprovide secure communications for electronic transactions.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods forproviding secure communications. One aspect of an embodiment of theinvention creates a virtual private connection to a remote server ornetwork utilizing a wireless modem and at least one direct connectionbetween a client device and the remote server, without utilizing theInternet. In another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, aclient operating system is taken over by a vertical function operatingsystem to service the communication with the remote server. Stillanother aspect of an embodiment of the present invention comprises aclient device establishing a connection with a remote server through awireless modem and at least one direct connection, shutting down a firstoperating system, starting up a second secure operating system, andlaunching an interface application with the second operating system toconduct electronic transactions with the remote server.

These illustrative embodiments are mentioned not to limit or define theinvention, but to provide an example to aid understanding thereof.Illustrative embodiments are discussed in the Detailed Description, andfurther description of the invention is provided there. Advantagesoffered by the various embodiments of the present invention may befurther understood by examining this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention are better understood when the following Detailed Descriptionis read with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an illustrative environment forimplementation of one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a process for providing securecommunications; and

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating another embodiment of a process forproviding secure communications.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods forproviding secure communication for electronic transactions. There aremultiple embodiments of the present invention. By way of introductionand example, one illustrative embodiment of the present inventionprovides a system and method for providing a private network throughwhich a user on a client device can interface with a remote server. Theremote server may be a financial transaction server associated with afinancial institution or other financial intermediary, to conduct anelectronic transaction or it may be a server associated with a privatenetwork.

In one embodiment, the client device accesses the remote server, such ason a private network, without accessing an unsecured public network. Theclient device may have a wireless modem and establish a connection viathe wireless modem over a wireless network to a server at atelecommunication provider's data center. This telecommunicationprovider's server may then be directly connected through, for example, aleased line connection to a connection server. The connection server maybe connected to the remote server via a direct connection, such as aleased line connection. This creates a secure private network for theclient device. The client device may then communicate securely with theremote server. The client device may then access and transact on theuser's financial accounts if the remote server is associated with afinancial institution, such as submitting payment for goods or servicesfrom an auction or retailer or accessing proprietary information on anorganization's remote network.

In one embodiment, a capacity management application on the connectionserver controls information traffic between the remote server and theclient device.

In one embodiment, an access engine on the client device shuts down allother applications when such a private network is established. Theconnection server may also authenticate the client device for onlyauthorized applications on the remote server.

The client device may be capable of switching operating systems from aWindows operating system before, during, or after the connection withthe remote server has taken place in order to prevent any Windows-basedspyware or other malware from obtaining sensitive information during theelectronic transaction with the application server. Alternatively, theclient device may also operate on a relatively more secure operatingsystem, such as Linux, and not use a Windows operating system fromMicrosoft Corp. In some embodiments, the client device operates on anunsecured Linux operating system.

This introduction is given to introduce the reader to the generalsubject matter of the application. By no means is the invention limitedto such subject matter. Illustrative embodiments are described below.

System Architecture

Various systems in accordance with the present invention may beconstructed. Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows one exemplaryembodiment of a system of the present invention. The system 100 includesa client device 102 with a communications device, such as a modem 104.The modem 104 may be a wireless modem and can establish a connectionover a wireless network to a telecommunications provider server 110. Thetelecommunications provider server 110 may be connected to a connectionserver 120 via a direct connection 112, such as a leased lineconnection. The connection server 120 may then be connected to a remoteserver 130 via a direct connection 114, such as a leased lineconnection. In another embodiment, the system 100 does not include aconnection server 120 and the provider server 110 is connected directlyto the remote server 130 via a leased line connection.

Although FIG. 1 includes only a single client 102, provider server 110,connection server 120, and remote server 130, an embodiment of thepresent invention includes a plurality of clients 102 and may include aplurality of provider servers 110, connection servers 120, and remoteservers 130.

Examples of client device 102 are personal computers, digitalassistants, personal digital assistants, cellular phones, mobile phones,smart phones, pagers, digital tablets, laptop computers, Internetappliances, and other processor-based devices. In general, a clientdevice 102 may be any suitable type of processor-based platform that cantransmit and receive data via a communications device, such as the modem104, and that interacts with one or more application programs 106 and107. The client device 102 can contain a processor 103 coupled to acomputer-readable medium 105, such as RAM, which can contain theapplication programs 106. In one embodiment, client device 102 containsan access engine application 107 and two operating systems 108 and 109.For example, the client device 102 may mainly operate a Microsoft®Windows® operating system, but operate on a Linux operating system whenconnected to the remote server 130 during an electronic transaction. Thesecond operating system 109 may be located in memory 105 as shown or maybe an embedded operating system for a transaction interface application.The access engine 107 can control the set up and connection of theclient device 102 with the provider server 110 and ultimately with theremote server 130. The access engine 107 can also control the switchingfrom a first operating system 108 to a second operating system 109.

In one embodiment, the access engine 107 is part of an access system,such as the bAccess™ system from Japan Communications, Inc., asdescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/167,744 (filed Jun. 27,2005) and Ser. No. 11/168,847 (filed Jun. 28, 2005), which are bothincorporated herein by this reference. The access system may operatebelow the driver level of an operating system, but above the core of theoperating system. For example, this can allow the access engine 107 tooperate below the driver level of the Windows operating system toestablish the connection of the client device 102 to the remote server130 via the connection server 120 and provider server 110.

A user 101 can interact with the client device 102 by, for example, akeyboard, pointing device, and display (not shown). The modem 104 canbe, for example, a PCMCIA card with a cellular modem capable ofcommunicating via a wireless communications network, such as, forexample, Personal Handy-phone System (“PHS”) network or a Code DivisionMultiple Access (“CDMA”)-based network. In some embodiments, athird-generation mobile telephone technology (“3G”) network may be used.

If the modem 104 is a wireless modem, then communications from theclient device are passed through the modem 104 through a wirelessnetwork, such as a PHS or CDMA network, to the provider server 110 inthe telecommunications provider's data center. Digital wirelesscommunication provides a robust security standard that is hardwareidentification driven. For example, wireless devices use electronicserial numbers that are in the device and drives an encryption. In otherembodiments, the modem may be a cable modem or a Digital Subscriber Line(“DSL”) modem and can be used to pass communications to and from theclient device 102 to a server 110 at the user's Internet ServiceProvider (ISP).

The servers can also be processor-based server devices that contain aprocessor coupled to a computer-readable medium, such as RAM or othertype of memory, which can contain one or more application programs. Forexample, the connection server 120 can contain a processor 116 that canaccess a computer-readable medium 118. The computer-readable medium 118can contain a session manager application program 122 that canfacilitate establishing a connection through leased lines with theprovider server 110 and the remote server 130. The session managerapplication 122 may also perform authentication functions for the user101 and client device 102. In addition, the computer-readable medium 118can contain a capacity management application 124 for controlling theinformation traffic between the remote server 130 and client device 102.

The remote server 130 may interact with other server devices anddatabases and may contain application programs that allow interactionwith a client device in order to perform electronic transactions. Insome embodiments, bAccess™ software may be utilized to restrictapplications available on the client device to particular applicationsdesigned for the transaction and/or to optimize the interaction betweenthe client device and the remote server 130. By restricting applicationsavailable to the client device, the interaction may also experiencerelatively enhanced performance and a relative decrease in the bandwidthneeded for effective communication between the client device and remoteserver 130. Decreasing the bandwidth needed may decrease the cost of thecommunication between the client device and remote server 130. Theelectronic transactions can include, for example, electronic billpaying, electronic funds transfer, and securities or other financialinstruments trading. The remote server 130 may be associated with afinancial institution, such as a bank or brokerage. The remote servermay also be associated with a financial intermediary, such as PayPal®.The remote server 130 authenticates the user 101, such as through username, password, account number, and other authentication techniques. Theclient device 102 can run a Web browser application to interact with theremote server 130. While to the user it appears that the user isinteracting with the financial institution's website, the connection isover a secure direct connection.

In other embodiments, the remote server may be associated with a privatenetwork, such as a corporate network. The user 101, in this embodiment,can communicate with the private network through the secure connectionand can access sensitive information in a secure manner.

The establishment of the secure connection as explained above enablesthe same capability heretofore only affordable for the senior mostcorporate executives (a direct connection to a remote server), to beavailable to the masses. Cost reduction is accomplished by making thetransport application specific through an interface (such as a bAccessinterface) and connection server, which will only authenticate the userfor a specific application. When the modem 104 (such as a mobile datacard wireless modem) is connected to the client device 102 the accessengine 107 and/or the connection server 120 may restrict applicationsrunning on the client device 102 to only those designated for access tothe remote server 130. The communication path between the client device102 and the remote server 130 may be controlled by one or more of themodem 104, the access engine 107, and the connection server 120. Furthercost reduction and lower price may be achieved by managing the actualnumber of packets that flow through this private network.

Illustrative Method of Providing Secure Communications

Various methods in accordance with embodiments of the present inventionmay be carried out. FIG. 2 illustrates an illustrative method 200 forproviding secure communications that may be implemented by the sessionmanager 122 or access engine 107, as shown in FIG. 1. This illustrativemethod is provided by way of example, as there are a variety of ways tocarry out methods according to the present invention. The method 200shown in FIG. 2 can be executed or otherwise performed by one or acombination of various systems. The system shown in FIG. 1 and describedabove is used for illustration purposes.

In step 202, a connection with a communications server is initiated. Inone embodiment, the initiation of the connection may be caused by theactivation of the modem 104 of the client device 102. For example, ifthe modem 104 is a PCMCIA card, then connecting the modem 104 to theclient device 102 initiates the connection with the connection server120.

In step 204, a connection is established. In one embodiment, the modem104 connects to the provider server 110 via a wireless network, such asPHS or CDMA. The provider server 110 is connected to a connection server120 via a leased line connection 112. In one embodiment, the connectionserver 120 receives the initiated connection from the client device 102via the provider server 110. As described above, the access engine 107can operate below the driver level of an operating system to establishthe connection. For example, in one embodiment, while a Windowsoperating system is running, the access engine 107 operates below theWindows operating system driver level and above the operating systemcore to establish the connection.

In step 206, the connection server 120 verifies and/or authenticates theclient device 102 and the user. The connection server 120 may utilizethe session manager application 122 to receive the connection from theclient device 102 and verify and/or authenticate the client device 102and the user. In some embodiments, the connection server 120 does notverify or authenticate the client device 102 and the user. In theseembodiments, the connection server 120 establishes a connection with theremote server 130 after receiving the initiated connection from theclient device 102 and then the remote server 130 may authenticate theclient device 102 and the user.

In step 208, the communication server 120 utilizes the session managerapplication 122 to establish a direct connection with the remote server130. For example, the session manager application 122 can initiate asignal to the remote server 130 and receive signals from the remoteserver 130 indicating that a direct connection is established betweenthe communication server 120 and the remote server 130. The signals maybe packets of information such as identification of the connectionserver 120, request for establishing a direct connection, and/oridentification of the client device 102. In one embodiment, theconnection server 120 is connected to the remote server 130 via a leasedline connection 114.

In step 210, a transaction interface application is launched on theclient device 102. In one embodiment, the interface application is a Webbrowser application and may reside in memory 105 of the client device.In one embodiment, the session manager application 122 can launch thetransaction interface application on the client device 102. The remoteserver 130 can interface with the client device 102 via the interfaceapplication. For example, the remote server 130 can use an HTML Web pageto interact with the user 101. The connection between the client device102 and the remote server is a private, direct connection and does notutilize a public network, such as the Internet. The remote server 130may transmit only the essential data to the client device 102 in orderto reduce the amount of data transmitted over the wireless network,which can reduce the cost of the method of secure communication. Theconnection server 120 may utilize the capacity management application124 to manage the packets transmitted over the connections in an effortto reduce the cost of communication.

FIG. 3 illustrates another illustrative method 300 for providing securecommunications that may be implemented by the session manager 122 oraccess engine 107, as shown in FIG. 1. In step 302, a connection withthe remote server is initiated. In one embodiment, the initiation of theconnection may be caused by the activation of the modem 104 of theclient device 102. For example, if the modem 104 is a PCMCIA card, thenconnecting the modem 104 to the client device 102 initiates theconnection with the remote server 130 through the connection server 120.

In step 304, a connection with the remote server 130 is established. Inone embodiment, the modem 104 connects to the provider server 110 via awireless network, such as PHS or CDMA. The provider server 110 isconnected to a connection server 120 via a leased line connection 112.The connection server 120 receives the initiated connection from theclient device 102 and initiates a connection with the remote server 130.

In step 306, the first operating systems shuts down. In one embodiment,as described above, the client device 102 runs a Windows® operatingsystem and the connection with the remote server 130 is establishedwhile running the Windows® operating system. In this embodiment, theconnection server 120 can shut down the Windows® operating system. Inanother embodiment, the access engine 107 can shut down the Windows®operating system. The connection to the remote server 130 can bemaintained with the modem during the shut down of the Windows® operatingsystem. The access engine 107 can begin shutting down the Windows®operating system at the same time it is establishing the connection withthe remote server 130. In another embodiment, the Windows® operatingsystem is shut down before the connection with the remote server isestablished. It is desirable to have the Windows® operating system shutdown or put to sleep before the user 102 engages in any transactionswith the remote server 130. This way, any spyware or other malware thathas embedded itself in the Windows operating system is renderedfunctionless. In another embodiment, the first operating system, such asa Windows® does not shut down and a second operating system, such asLinux, runs as a process of the first operating system. In thisembodiment, the second operating system runs on top of the firstoperating system. The second operating system can access at least aportion of memory and remove any spyware or malware.

In another embodiment, the first operating system is not completely shutdown. Rather, the access engine 107 may allow only certain applicationsto run during the secure connection. The connection server 120 mayfurther authenticate the client device 102 and user 101 and ensure thatonly appropriate applications are running on the client device 102 andthat client device 102 is engaged in appropriate communications with theremote server 130.

After the first operating system is shut down, the second operatingsystem is started up at step 308. In one embodiment, the connectionserver 120 can start up the second operating system. For example, afterthe Windows operating system is shut down or put to sleep, a Linuxoperating system or other secure operating system can be started up.This can occur before, during or after the connection to the remoteserver 130 is made. The second operating system 109 can reside and berun from memory 105, as shown in FIG. 1. Alternatively, the secondoperating system can be an embedded operating system for a transactioninterface application. Using an open source operating system, such asLinux, reduces the potential for harmful malware being resident on thecomputer that may obtain personal and confidential information duringelectronic transactions using the communication method 200.

In step 310, a transaction interface application is launched on theclient device 102. In one embodiment, the interface application is a Webbrowser application and may reside in memory 105 of the client device.The remote server 130 can interface with the client device 102 via theinterface application. For example, the remote server 130 can use anHTML Web page to interact with the user 101. The connection between theclient device 102 and the remote server is a private, direct connectionand does not utilize a public network, such as the Internet. The remoteserver 130 may transmit only the essential data to the client device 102in order to reduce the amount of data transmitted over the wirelessnetwork, which can reduce the cost of the method of securecommunication. The connection server 120 may utilize the capacitymanagement application 124 to manage the packets transmitted over theconnections in an effort to reduce the cost of communication.

General

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has beenpresented only for the purpose of illustration and description and isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the preciseforms disclosed. Numerous modifications and adaptations thereof will beapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for providing secure communications forelectronic transactions, the method comprising: receiving an initiatingconnection signal from a client device at a connection server, theclient device comprising a first operating system and a second operatingsystem and the connection server comprising: a capacity managementapplication for controlling the capacity of information traffic betweenthe client device and a remote server, which takes place across a firstdirect connection that is between the client device and the connectionserver, and a second direct connection that is between the connectionserver and the remote server, to enable management of packetstransmitted therebetween to selectively reduce cost of communication,wherein the first direct connection and the second direct connectiontransmit over private networks; and a session manager application;establishing a communications link between the connection server and theclient device through the first direct connection; initiating aconnection signal from the connection server to the remote server withthe session manager application; establishing a second communicationslink between the connection server and the remote server through thesecond direct connection; and creating a secure private connectionbetween the client device and the remote server by shutting down thefirst operating system upon the client device being connected with theremote server and allowing the second operating system to performelectronic transactions through the connection server and over the firstdirect connection and the second direct connection.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising authenticating the client device and anidentity of a client device user by the connection server.
 3. The methodof claim 1, further comprising launching a transaction interfaceapplication on the client device by the connection server.
 4. The methodof claim 1, wherein the second direct connection between the connectionserver and the remote server is a leased line connection.
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein the communications link between the connectionserver and the client device includes a telecommunications providerserver and the first direct connection is between the connection serverand the telecommunications provider server.
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein the direct connection between the connection server and thetelecommunications provider server is a leased line connection.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the capacity management application managesthe actual number of packets that flow between the client device and theremote server.
 8. A connection server comprising: a processor; a memory;a session manager application for establishing a communications linkbetween the connection server and a client device through a first directconnection and for establishing a second communications link between theconnection server and a remote server through a second directconnection, wherein the processor executes the session managerapplication and wherein the client device comprises a first operatingsystem and a second operating system; wherein the connection servercreates a secure private connection between the client device and theremote server by shutting down the first operating system upon theclient device being connected with the remote server and allowing thesecond operating system to perform electronic transactions through thecommunications link and the second communications link; and a capacitymanagement application for controlling the capacity of informationtraffic between the client device and the remote server, which takesplace across the first direct connection that is between the clientdevice and the connection server, and the second direct connection thatis between the connection server and the remote server to enablemanagement of packets transmitted therebetween to selectively reducecost of communication, wherein the first direct connection and thesecond direct connection transmit over private networks.
 9. Theconnection server of claim 8, wherein the session manager application isadapted to authenticate the client device and an identity of a clientdevice user.
 10. The connection server of claim 8, wherein the seconddirect connection with the remote server is a leased line connection.11. The connection server of claim 8, wherein the session managerapplication establishes the communications link through the first directconnection with the client device by establishing the communicationslink through the first direct connection with a telecommunicationsprovider device; and wherein the client device is connected to thetelecommunications provider device.
 12. The connection server of claim11, wherein the first direct connection with the telecommunicationsprovider device is a leased line connection.
 13. The connection serverof claim 8, wherein the capacity management application manages theactual number of packets that flow between the client device and theremote server.